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National day
, famous painting from Pedro Américo that celebrates the Independence Day of Brazil.]] (such as in Sweden, 6 June 2013) the head of state will often ride through the streets and greet citizens on National Day.]] A '''national day' is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a nation or non-sovereign country. This nationhood can be symbolized by the date of independence, of becoming a republic or a significant date for a patron saint or a ruler (birthday, accession, removal, etc.). Often the day is not called "National Day" but serves and can be considered as one. The national day will often be a national holiday. Many countries have more than one national day. Most countries have a fixed-date national day, but some have movable dates. An example is Jamaica, which up to 1997 celebrated its national day on the first Monday in August. This commemorated independence from the United Kingdom which was attained on Monday, 6 August 1962, the first Monday in August of that year. Israel's Independence Day is not fixed relative to the civil Gregorian calendar, being formally linked to 5 Iyar on the Jewish calendar, but may also be moved to any day between 3 and 6 Iyar in order to avoid preparing for or celebrating either Independence Day or Memorial Day (which immediately precedes Independence Day) on Shabbat; the practical effect of this is that Independence Day may be celebrated any day between 15 April and 15 May. Another example is Thailand which celebrates the birthday of the king on 28 July. This date will change on the accession of the heir to the throne. Most national days can be categorized in two large blocks: *Newer countries that celebrate their national day as the day of their independence. *Older countries that use some other event of special significance as their national day. Denmark and the United Kingdom are among the few countries that do not have designated national days. Celebrations Importance attached to the national day as well as the degree to which it is celebrated vary greatly from country to country. For example, Spain's national day Fiesta Nacional de España is held on 12 October, the day celebrated in other countries as Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, and commemorates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas. A military parade is held in Madrid celebrating the occasion. The national day in France is 14 July and known as the Fête nationale (known outside France as Bastille Day) commemorating the Storming of the Bastille, which is considered the start of the French Revolution. It is widely celebrated and the French Tricolour is much in evidence, while the President of the Republic attends a military parade on the Champs-Élysées of Paris. In the United States, the Independence Day celebrations on 4 July are widely celebrated with parades, fireworks, picnics and barbecues. In Ireland, Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March, is the equivalent of a national day and has been a public holiday for many years. However, in the United Kingdom the constituent countries' patron saints' days are low-key affairs. In recent times campaigns have commenced to promote the national days of England, Scotland and Wales, with St. Andrew's Day being designated as an official bank holiday when the Scottish Parliament passed the St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007. A National Day for the United Kingdom has also been proposed in recent years. As with the Bastille Day military parade in France, many other countries have a National Day Parade. Examples include the Singapore National Day Parade, and the parade for the National Day of the People's Republic of China. List of national days Regions that are not broadly recognized sovereign states are shown in . For regions controlled by sovereign states (such as federal states, autonomous regions, or colonies), the name of the sovereign state is shown in parentheses. See also * Public holiday * Flag Day * Independence Day * Liberation day * Civil religion * National Holiday * Fête nationale * Republic Day * Victory Day References External links * Flags by Louis, a blog about flags updated daily to show different national days Category:National days Category:Lists of observances Category:Types of national holidays Category:January observances Category:February observances Category:March observances Category:April observances Category:May observances Category:June observances Category:Movable July observances Category:July observances Category:August observances Category:Movable August observances Category:September observances Category:October observances Category:November observances Category:December observances Category:Holidays and observances by scheduling (nth weekday of the month)